386 Novels by the Author of Headlong Hall. [Aprit, 
obviating this little inconvenience, by always keeping his eyes close shut when- 
ever the sun had the impertinence to shine upon him. 
“ He immediately added, that he would take the opportunity of making a 
remark perfectly in point: ‘that Experience was a Cyclops, with his eye in 
the back of his head ;? and when Mr. Fax remarked, that he did not see the 
connexion, Mr. Mystic said he was very glad to hear it ; for he should be sorry 
if any one but himself could see the connexion of his ideas, as he arranged his 
thoughts on a new principle. 
“They went steadily on through the dense and heavy air, over waters that 
slumbered like the Stygian pool; a chorus of frogs, that seemed as much 
delighted with their own melody, at if they had been an oligarchy of poetical 
critics, regaling them all the way with the Aristophanic symphony of Brex~ 
EK-EK-Ex! xo-ax! Ko-Ax! till the boat fixed its keel in the Jsland of Pure 
Intelligence ; and Mr. Mystic landed his party, as Charon did Hneas and the 
Sybil, in a bed of weeds and mud: after floundering in which for some time, 
from losing their guide in the fog, they were cheered by the sound of his voice 
from above, and scrambling up the bank, found themselves on a hard and 
barren rock; and, still following the sound of Mr. Mystic’s voice, arrived at 
Cimmerian Lodge. © 
** The fog had penetrated into all the apartments: there was fog in the hall, 
fog in the parlour, fog on the staircases, fog in the bed-rooms: 
¢ The fog was here, the fog was there, 
The fog was all around.’ 
It was a little rarefied in the kitchen, by virtue of the enormous .fire ; so far, at 
least, that the red face of the cook shone through it, as they passed the kitchen 
door, like the disk of the rising moon through the vapours of an autumnal 
river: but to make amends for this, it was condensed almost into solidity in 
the library, where the voice of their invisible guide bade them welcome to the 
adytum of the LUMINOUS OBSCURE. 
“Mr. Mystic now produced what he called his’ synthetical torch, and 
requested them to follow him, and look over his grounds. Mr. Fax said it was 
perfectly useless to attempt it in such a state of the atmosphere ; but Mr. 
Mystic protested it was the only state of the atmosphere in which they could 
be seen to advantage: as daylight and sunshine utterly destroyed their 
eauty. 
“ They followed the ‘ darkness visible’ of the synthetical torch, which, ac- 
cording to Mr. Mystic, shed around it the rays of transcendental illumination ; and 
he continued to march before them, walking, and talking, and pointing out 
innumerable images of singularly nubilous beauty, though Mr. Forester and Mr. 
Fax both declared they could see nothing but the fog and ‘ Za pale lueur du 
magique flambeau ;’ till Mr. Mystic observing that they were now in a Sponta- 
neity free from Time and Space, and at the point of Absolute Limitation, Mr. 
Fax said he was very glad to hear it ; for in that case they could go no further. 
Mr. Mystic observed that they must go further ; for they were entangled in a 
maze; from which they would never be able to extricate themselves without his 
assistance ; and he must take the liberty to tell them, that the categories of 
modality were connected into the idea of absolute necessity. As this was spoken in 
a high tone, they took it to be meant for a reprimand ; which carried the more 
weight, as it was the less understood. At length, after floundering on another 
half hour, the fog still thicker and thicker, and the torch still dimmer and 
dimmer, they found themselves once more in Cimmerian Lodge. 
«« Mr. Mystic asked them how they liked his grounds, and they both repeated 
they had seen nothing of them: on which he flew into a rage, and called them 
empyrical psychologists, and slaves of definition, induction, and analysis, which he 
intended for terms of abuse, but which were not taken for such by the persons 
to whom he addressed them. 
“¢ Recovering his temper, he observed that it was nearly the hour of dinner ; 
and, as they did not think it worth while to Le angry with him, they con- 
 —— 
